Beneath the Surface of Artist Attribution

It resonated with me immediately because I had just been thinking about how much deep ocean water weirds me out. (Don’t ask me why; I don’t remember the reason why that particular topic had been on my mind.)

But I also recognized the artwork because I own a hardcover of the book whose cover it adorns. And like so many memes that cross social media, this one came with no attribution for the artist. Normally I click on by such things, my ire slightly raised because proper credit has not been given but powerless to rectify the situation due to the challenges of tracing the art back to its original source. Not so in this case. It took less than five minutes to locate the artist’s name and her website, and less time than that to reproduce the above meme using the entire image with proper attribution.

Beneath the Surface by Julie Dillon

I’m all for art appreciation and sharing it in new ways that represent various aspects of the human experience. But I wish people would be more conscientious about making sure the original artists receive recognition for those works. Many hours and much work goes into creating that art, and it’s only fair that due credit be given where it’s due.

You know that thing you’ve heard about liars’ eyes? How when you tell a lie, you look up and to the right because that’s what you do when you access the creative part of your brain? And how you look to the left when you’re being honest? Yeah, that’s a myth. I’ve seen it pop up a lot in various stories and TV shows, and it bugs the heck out of me every single time. How’s about we do a little research next time, hm? Stop perpetuating this and other body language myths, ‘cuz they’re flat-out wrong and carry with them potential real-world consequences.

Ok, folks, if you’re going request a WordPress design, your posting needs to be longer than, “Design and some coding and app application.” Seriously, could you be any less specific? Add to that a budget that’s $100 at maximum, and you’re pretty much guaranteed to have your request ignored by any designer with any kind of sense. This is one of those times where going minimalistic works to your disadvantage.